Maple
by Crevi
Summary: Maple is more of a fantasy based story. It's about a boy who grows into a man. He is very troubled on his love life since he was left with a negative experience. This lead to him being an introvert and not opening up to the people he meets. Everything changes when he meets a stunning woman, Maple. Names and information have been changed to protect the people involved.
1. Chapter 1

As I sat on the bus, I looked out to the distance. Reminiscing every single memory. Good and bad. All the events leading up to this point, making me the person I am today. I don't know where to start, so I might as well start from the beginning.

It was a warm night. I was born 4 minutes before the next day. So much innocence. At the age of 4 I started pre-school. By the time I was 5, I was getting in trouble with school authorities. Fighting other kids. Doing mischievous things. I always had a feeling I would be rebellious.

Fast forward some years, 2006. My little sister was born. Little did I know the next few years of my life would be so wonderful and unforgiving at the same time. 2008 came along and I graduate elementary school. The same school that I defied the authorities years ago. That was the first time I cried. I didn't want to leave my friends. After that summer I started in a new school and made friends really quickly. I was over my elementary school friends. Over the course of 3 years, I wasn't exactly the best student. Not the worst either. Unfocused, but I somehow graduated.

2012, I started high school. It was very different from what the movies show. In the blink of an eye, the school year was ending. Then she came along. I was almost oblivious of her until now. We started dating. I broke up with her countless times from freshman to senior year. What a person I was. January 2016, I broke up with her. I couldn't take the doubts I had anymore. I did it to keep her happy. Six months later, we got back together. 6 days before I had to leave. I was going to become a U.S. Marine.

During boot camp I sent her letters, only to receive one back. That was my motivation to keep pushing forward. 13 weeks of hell. After the crucible, I was handed my Eagle Globe and Anchor, EGA. This was the second time I cried. I had made a promise to everyone that I wouldn't cry until I was handed my EGA. I have fulfilled my promise. I went back home for 10 days, then started Marine Combat Training, MCT.

After MCT, I arrived at the west coast. 29 Palms, California. I hated the west coast Marines. They thought they were the shit. Like always, I adapted and learned to work with them. On the first week of January, I got promoted. I wasn't so surprised, since I still don't rate to do anything at all. Two weeks later, she texts me. I call her and she says we are done. My heart sank. I knew it had to happen someday. We hung up and I accepted the truth. There was no reason to gloat over it. My buddy, Roker, came over and asked if I was okay. He had witnessed the whole thing unfold.

A week later, I feel that I'm way over it. Or so I thought. I open up Snapchat. And the first thing I see is my ex on Skype with her new boyfriend. He was a gaming stud. I was disgusted. I left my phone sitting on my rack the entire day.

There was this one female. I had a huge crush on her. The only problem was, she was too good for me. I did not make any advances toward her. I knew my boundaries. I picked up class the next week. 47 training days later, I graduated Communications school. I got orders to go to Okinawa, Japan. Exactly what I wanted.

Now I'm sitting on the bus to the airport. Where I will be going back to home for about 2 weeks. Then to Japan. Every second that passes by, my heart sinks a little bit. Part of me doesn't want to go back. Six months in the desert, so many memories.

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

_"Did anything happen over the next 2 weeks?"_

Not much has happened in the span of 2 weeks. I stayed home for 11 days and slept. I went out the final 2 days to explore. Nothing much to see. I had been away from the civilian world for so long, it's hard to be one now. And due to that, I hate being around civilians. Nothing feels better than the feeling of being around your own people, Marines.

It was the best day I've had during my leave. Woke up bright and early, and left for Brooklyn. I had one goal in mind. To see her before I know I would never see her again, my ex. Whom I still hadn't let go of. I see myself more of a guardian to her than anything else. But I never saw her...

I made an appointment for a haircut. Got that off my list, check. Now I just had to stall out the time until 2:00 PM so I could visit my elementary school teachers and say the final goodbyes. I've always say my luck was bad. Turns out one of them weren't there. It left me heart broken, but everything else made up for it. As I leave the school, giving hugs on the way out, I look back. I look back at the memories. The ups and downs. It was all worth it. If it weren't for these people, I would not have made it to where I am now. I look over my shoulders at the school one last time, I promised I would come back to my origins.

I get a call from my mom, I had to buy some groceries for her. I didn't mind. What I did mind was losing my metro card and finding a store that satisfied my needs. I buy the groceries, and get a new card. I'm leaving tomorrow, why do I even bother getting it. I thought to myself. Oh well, it's always been a habit of mine to spend money on useless things. The distance from me and the bustop I needed to be at was very far. I checked to see when the next bus was coming. 20 minutes. I didn't want to wait that long. So I ended up walking the whole way. Little did I know, I was walking through enemy territory. When I walk the streets, my mind goes blank. I got where ever my mind has set, regardless of the route I take. I glance around a lot, not taking notice of my surroundings. I look back to check if there's a bus creeping up. No, but I saw something else.

...I never saw her until now. Walking across the street. My mind warps back to reality. I realized who I saw. Anya. I wanted to see her off, but not like this. I keep my cool and continue walking. She eventually passes me. Wow she walks super fast. Then she disappears from sight. My mom calls again, asks me where I am. I told her I was on my way home, which I was. I decided to run the rest of the way. Two blocks in, I got tired. Man this week and a half got me rusty. I can't even run properly anymore.

I texted her, she responded. Our conversation was dry. I didn't see her as anything but a human being. Probably because of the experiences I had during my stay at California. We continued our conversation for about 10 more hours. I was on my flight to Seattle. I invited her out for breakfast as humans. I'm a control freak. My plan was for her to say yes, and reject my own offer, as I was in Seattle already. It didn't matter, she declined the offer. We shared a mental goodbye, when she told me she has a boyfriend and to go invite my other female friends.

Now I'm sitting on the plane from Seattle to Alaska. And from Alaska, I will be going to Okinawa, Japan. I told someone this once before. Move to Japan, and erase everything. There was only one thing I ever wanted. The approval of two people. My ex and my Drill Instructor. I wanted them to give me a pat on the back and say good job. I wanted them to appreciate what I've done. I never got that. Now I can be at ease, and forget about her. As for my Drill Instructor, I'm going to hunt him down and have him train me as a black belt. I looked up to him so much. More than anybody in the world. My morals and dislike of most females came from him. He has lost his position many times because of females. Don't get me wrong, I respect all females but I don't trust them. Well some of them.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

"So." I said looking up from the table. "That's how I got here. I know what you're probably thinking, how can someone so positive have such a negative past? I told myself I wouldn't let the past eat me up. But enough about me, what about you?"

I take a sip of coffee and looked straight at her. She was a stunning girl. My buddies set this "date" up for the both of us. I just saw it as a meal. Judging from the look on her face, she probably didn't listen to what I've just told her. In my head, I'm deciding if I should open up to her or not. Thoughts run wild in my head. Creating every single situation and solution. After a huge pause, she finally spoke.

 _"Let me ask you something first. It's the final thing, I promise."_

"Sure, go for it. Nothing fazes me anymore."

 _"This, Anya girl, was she your first love? And how much did you love her?"_

"Yes she was. I loved her so much it pained me to let her go. There was only one reason I had to let her go. I told her it was to keep her happy. She didn't believe me. But now, I've really let go. I don't even remember her face. It's all so blurry. Now, tell me about yourself."

 _"Okay, my name is Maple. It's a weird name, I know. My hometown had a lot of maple trees. So my parents gave me that name. I was born on April 23, 1998. I'm a shy person, but I am able to hold my own in front of others with confidence. I'm not really experienced with relationships. My previous partner...cheated on me. Anyways, like you, I am a part time gamer. My world used to revolve around gaming but that came to an end when I realized I wasn't going anywhere with it. I act very different when I'm playing a game, I become ruthless. My range of fashion goes from girly girl to tomboy. But very rarely do I tomboy dress. I'm am very honest. In my free time I play games that challenge my brain."_

"Wait stop, what did you just say?"

 _"In my free tim-"_

"No, you said you were very honest, right?" I said it so aggressively.

 _"Y-yes" She looked intimidated. Without a word, I got up. Walked over to the back table where my buddies were. I sat down._

 **"How did you know we were here?"**

"I noticed a long time ago. My eyes are better than any of yours."

 **"Quit bragging. So how's this one?"**

"It's the 4th one this week. You guys should stop trying to set me up." I said it so casually. I look back at the table I was sitting on. She looked so miserable. I almost felt bad."

"You know what guys, I'm going to take a giant leap."

I returned to the table. She had her head down. Staring down into the coffee. I took a sip, and looked at her. Head still hanging low as if she was mentally crushed.

"Will you go out with me?"

She looked up surprised _"I thought you le-"_

"I said will you go out with me" I repeated cutting her off.

There was confusion in her eyes, then excitement _"Yes"_

"Alright! Let's get out of here!" I downed my coffee. To my surprise, she downed her coffee the same speed I did.

 _"Where are we going?"_ she asked.

"I got the perfect place in mind."

It's been a long time since I've had this feeling. She may be the one...


	4. Chapter 4

We were walking in the park. It's only been a few days. Man, it feels like I've been with her for months. It was all going good. I noticed she started slowing down. Then I felt the change of pressure. I knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

 _"Oh I was just wondering about something"_

"What is it?"

 _"What made you join the Marines?"_

"Well..." I said sitting down.

It was the beginning of my senior year in high school. September to be exact. Since it was my last year, I didn't have any plans for when I graduated. I always doubted myself in my abilities. I felt like everyone had their life together while mine was slowly being ripped apart because I didn't have a plan.

One day, in math class, a friend asked me a question. He asked me what I was going to do after high school. I just stared at him. After a while I told him that I didn't know. Without hesitation he asked me if I wanted to join the Marines. That's when my brain lit up. As a child I've always admired the brotherhood in the military. I told him I was going to give it a try. He took down my information.

Later that day, I received a call. I didn't know who it was, but I still picked up. It turned out to be a recruiter for the Marines. He asked me a few questions to make sure I was eligible to join. It turned out that I met the basic standards. We made an appointment for the following day.

After school the next day, I went to his office. We sat down and talked. He gave me a set of tabs. Each tab had something printed on it. He explained that I had to put the tabs in the order of which I value most. He then had me explain each one. After that, we talked more about the Marines and what they had to offer. I decided to be a reservist so I could stay in New York and only work on the weekends. He gave me a set of papers to fill out with my parents. They weren't too bright on the idea at first. But after some time of explaining. They agreed. I felt a rush of excitement. I handed in the papers the next day. It got approved. The next second I was on my way to take the ASVAB, a test that determines your job. Without me knowing it, I had already swore in. It felt good. I felt invincible. During this time I was still dating Anya. I couldn't wait to tell her the news.

She looked at me like I was crazy. She said that I'm crazy for joining. So I pulled out a flyer and showed her the benefits of being in the Marines and all the big names that once served as a Marine. There was one more reason that lead to me being a reservist. I didn't want to leave my girlfriend.

January 2016. We broke up. I was too blind to see that she was deliberately trying to make me jealous. It worked but it worked too much. I felt mentally crushed. I had an event to go to that Saturday. I told my recruiter why I didn't want to go. I had too much on my mind. He told me to go anyways as we were going to be shooting and you're going to look like a badass. My eyes lit up. I ended up going.

Sometime after the event, I spoke to my recruiter. I want to go active. He questioned my why. I told him I wanted to explore. Back when I had the tabs, I place adventure first. I wanted to travel. I kept my other reason from him, I wanted to get as far away from her as possible. It seemed like a stupid reason. He told me he was going to find someone to switch contracts with.

A few month later, my recruiter was relieved of recruiting duty. My new recruiter, had found me someone to change contracts with. I was relieved.

I think it was somewhere in July. I had an evaluation. It determined if I was fit for boot camp. I got a really high grade on all 3 parts, which included running, pull-ups, and crunches. The chief recruiter came over to me and asked me if I was ready to leave. Without skipping a beat I said yes. He bumped up my date to August 1st. I have never felt this excited in my life.

It pained me to be leaving. But I kept reminding myself it was for the better. After 6 months I still loved her. Somehow we got back together. A week before I had to leave. I remembered, I signed up so she would be the one to get the benefits. I planned on marrying her.

 _"All this for one girl? She must have meant a lot to you. Was she worth it?"_

"Don't get it twisted. It's been years since I've last seen her. I probably won't recognize her."

 _"In that case, its my turn. I have to make a confession"_

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

_"I haven't been completely truthful. But it was for the better"_

"What do you mean, Maple?"

 _"Back at the coffee shop, I lied to you when I was telling you about myself."_

"I expected as much, it doesn't surprise me. Go on."

 _"Believe me, it was for the better. Where should I start? "_

I was born on March 23, not April. I was a very shy person. I wasn't very popular so I didn't have much friends. I had a few I could trust. My early life wasn't so...bright.

During my freshman year in high school, I met a guy. Well he was in my class. We didn't exactly talk but I think I fell for him. As the shy person I was at that point, I didn't have the guts to approach him. So I connected with his friend on Facebook. Eventually it led to me talking to my crush, daring him to be in a relationship with me for a month. To my surprise, he accepted.

But it was short lived. He broke up with me soon after the next year started. I was so heartbroken. I came to school the next day, and I saw him outside. I couldn't even look at him. I sat far away, then something wet touched my hands. I call my mom, with tears streaming down my face. I told her I didn't want to go to school. Then that asshole came over. I didn't want to look at him. He said something but my thoughts drowned him out.

We ended up getting back together almost less than a week later. I didn't know why I did it, but it felt like the right decision at the time.

Two years has passed. I was in my last year of high school. We broke up and made up countless times. It was December 2016, we got into an argument. I was so angry, I couldn't think. I guess he was really angry too. I can't remember what we were arguing about. I just remembered being told that it was over. I was devastated. I did something to make him jealous, and now I might have ended it for good.

About six months later, I get a text message from a number. It was him. I knew his motives already. He was trying to get me back. Unfortunately he said he needed a team for a game. His excuse was that he couldn't find a good enough player and that I was the only one left. I was hesitant, then I accepted the offer.

Something happened, and we ended up together. Once again. I knew he was probably going to dump me soon. It turns out he was leaving the state soon. He wasn't going to come back in another 10 months. At the 7 month mark, we got into another argument. I was so fed up. I told him it was over. He immediately called me, we ended up talking for quite a while. My heart and mind was set on my decision. After we got off the phone, I never heard from him again.

Two years later, a couple of my colleagues approached me. They set me up on a blind date for that Friday. They told me all I needed to know was that he has a lot of pride. I was confused. How did I get dragged into this.

Friday evening, I arrived at the coffee shop. I look at my phone. I was told table 7. I look over, there was someone there already. I walk over, and my eyes grew wide. It was him. Why, of all people? I sat down. It seemed like he didn't recognize me. In my head I was rummaging through my head so I could piece together a fake picture for him. I told him I was a fan of knowing people's past. I convinced him to tell me his background story as I create my story.

As he was talking he didn't seem very focused. I didn't know what my friends meant by pride. As he was talking, the waiter came and handed us our coffee. Just how I like my coffee. How did this guy know? Can he read my mind? He is good. I listened to the key parts he was telling me.

After he finished I asked him if anything else happened. He continued talking. I was ready to tell him my false identity. As he finished I prepared myself mentally. I asked him a few more questions before finally telling him who I "was." He stopped me halfway, and asked if I was honest. I said yes. He got up and walked over to a corner table. I assumed that's where his friends were. I look down. Did I mess up somewhere? Did I blow my chance?

He comes back to the table and invites me out on a real date. At this point I was really confused. He asked again. I agreed to go with him. I downed my coffee. To my surprise, he downed it as fast as I did. Maybe even faster. We went on a couple dates the next few days.

"Wait, so you're telling me y-"

 _"Yes, yes I am."_

"How come you didn't say anything?"

 _"Did I have to? I didn't want you to get up and leave if I told you who I really was."_

"But who is Maple?"

 _"I am. I adopted the name Maple through a game. I'm very competitive and ruthless."_

"I didn't recognize you. It's been so long. And I guess I fell for you again."

 _"The past few years has been difficult. My friends keep trying to hook me up with different guys. But I turned them down. They didn't have what I was looking for."_

"My buddies did the same thing. Anya, I love you. I'm sorry for the times I wronged you."

 _"A person who truly loves you, will never let you go, or give up on you no matter how hard the situation is..."_


End file.
